A Bond of Fate
by Roninator
Summary: A collab story between Clear Blue and me. Jupiter had been revealed to the world, as they were performing their new song...Touma fell overboard! The drowning idol was soon saved by an unknown figure. Feeling in debt, he searched for his savior.


"This is it. The last move. Once I've done this, I would've completed Kuroi's task."

This is the thoughts of Touma Amagase, the seemingly head of the of 961 Production's idol group, Jupiter. They have finally made their debut as a group, but not before Touma appearing solo in the past. Tonight, they are singing to the world their new song, "Koi wo Hajimeyou", and is about to finish. The last step of the dance, a backflip, is all that is needed and they would've made their debut a success.

There was no time for a deep breath. Immediately, Touma jumped backwards and shifted his weight to his upper body. Surely enough, he managed to land on his hands, then proceeded to do the rest of the back flip, but then, something did not feel right for Touma. He did everything right. So why doesn't he feel the ground on his feet? And, did it suddenly become windy? He tries to see what has happened, but it was too fast. Only one thing was certain...

*sploosh*

Then, Hokuto and Shouta stood frozen, wondering why there was no reaction from the crowd...

Before it came to them to look at where their ally was supposed to, and he was not there at the spot they rehearsed.

*blub blub blub*

"Umm...Can he swim?" One of the fans said.

The answer may never be known, for as they looked at the area where Touma supposed to have dived in, no one was there.

Although some sightings from the side of the boat were of something speeding faster than a normal human could. "What's that?" she said.

A body arose from the waters. The idol who accidentally fell overboard was found! But it was not moving, yet it traveled as if it could.

Rescuers came quickly to the idol. Unconscious, he was saved by an apparent creature from the sea.

Before they could lay their eyes on it, it went back to the darkness of the waters, its physical appearance, was never revealed.

"Touma!" The fans yelled.

"You think he's alright?" They say to each other.

"Let's hope he doesn't die!" One clutched her hands together as if she was praying.

And then, the idol awakened. He coughed up sea water he apparently drank, before coming to full consciousness.

"Touma, you're alright!" The fans cheered! "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Touma, still dazed from the experience, couldn't hear the voices of their fans, but suddenly he gave a surprised look in his face. "She? Where is she?" he uttered loudly.

"She? What do you mean 'she'?" The fans were questioned and shrugged to each other about what Touma said.

"This girl...There was this girl who came and saved me. Did someone jumped into the sea and saved me?" he asked.

Everyone was silent, but those who have recovered his body did recall not seeing how it came to them.

"No, we didn't." One of the fans said.

"We saw your body arose from the sea but we didn't see what was pushing you in such a fast pace. The rescuers pulled you back on the ship before we could take a look at 'her'."

Touma stood there in silence from what he heard. He thought that perhaps he was imagining things. But all seemed too clear to be anything but that.

"Hmph. If you can excuse me," a shadowy figure, the 961 Production's President, Takao Kuroi, said, "I would like to cancel the rest of Jupiter's events for the night. What happened may have been too much for him to handle and perform at their best!"

The fans turned their view from Touma and felt saddened that their events were all canceled. "Aww..."

"Sorry princesses, but Touma must've taken in a lot tonight. He needs to take a break." Hokuto walked over to Touma and lightly patted him on the shoulder.

The show was canceled and the ship had docked. Everyone who was there had left with a half-hearted feeling. Rivals and fans alike were scared of the event.

As Touma boards the limousine Kuroi had ordered, Hokuto and Shouta were waving to their fans. Kuroi then enters the car, and whispers to Touma "That was a good move you made, Touma. Telling your fans of some girl that saved your life, it would only strengthen their love for you and Jupiter." But Touma did not move nor react to that statement. "But it's true..." he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, somewhere else...

"Good thing, no one saw me..." The girl swam up to shore and climbed up on a rock. "If not, they would see me...like this..." She placed the rest of her body on shore. The moon reflected its light off her, revealing that half of her body was a fish-tail! Her shimmering blue scales reflected the moon's light. She stared at the moon, holding her blue green, and wondered about what happened tonight.

"I wonder...when will I see him again?"

Back at 961 Productions, Jupiter are receiving their schedules for the following week. But a distracted Touma can only look outside and stare at the moon.

He thought to himself, "One day, when I can, I'll try to find you. I have to repay you for saving my life. If you are by the sea, then I must search wherever you may be. And if it involves searching every port, every beach, so be it."

"Hey, Touma!" the voice of Shouta suddenly bursted in his ears. "You were spacing out! Did you even listen to anything right now?" But Touma only stayed uninterested, his thoughts still occupied of the girl from earlier.

"Hey Touma? Touma! **TOUMA**!" Shouta screamed loudly so it would reach his ears.

"Oi!" Touma replied angrily. "I'll be listening already, alright?"

"But Touma," Shouta said, "the meeting's over. You were daydreaming during the rest of it, **AGAIN**!"

"Fine, sorry that I yelled at you. So, why don't you explain to me what was the meeting about? And don't worry, I'm listening this time." Touma said.

"Well, to keep it short" Shouta said in a disheartening reply, "we're going to have many appearances and concerts for the next weeks. All of them would be in the mainland, though..."

"That's one _small_ step to becoming a "Top Idol". Touma let out a sigh, wondering when he will repay the girl who saved his life.

"Heheh. Now don't be like that, Touma." Shouta said with a little enthusiasm. "Kuroi-shachou said that when we beat 765 at the IA, we're as good as there. Besides, we're only doing these concerts just to get more fans as possible. So until then, it's just gonna be work, work and work!"

"Good thing, I can still handle it." Touma may have said it in a strong voice, but some reluctance was present in his speech.

Time went by, and Jupiter proceeded to move by the orders of Kuroi. Eventually, the IA came, and Jupiter was defeated. Touma had learned that Jupiter lacked the power of teamwork to complete their dreams and later, they disbanded and he resigned from being an idol of 961Pro.

As the night came to a close, Touma, on his bed, was thinking on what they could have overlooked on the power of 765.

Then, as he links it all to the producer, he closed his eyes, wanting to sleep. But instead of a black screen, he saw what happened that time. When he fell off the boat and as he sinked, the image of a girl came before him before passing out at that time.

Touma immediately remembered his promise that day, quickly got out of bed and rushed out to the nearest beach he could find.

Upon reaching the nearest one, he slowed down and stopped. He stood there and looked at all directions for as long as he could, hoping that he would find the girl somewhere.

But all is for naught. As the sun rose, he knew that his body was too weak to continue, so he hurried back home, but thinks to himself that he will not stop looking.

Going to beaches has been a regular thing for Touma. A few days later, while he was in a beach, he saw a familiar looking man walking. He turned around and saw that it was the producer from 765Pro!

After talking for a while, Ritsuko and the members of 'Ryuuguu Komachi' came to him in a hurry. "Onii-chan! If you don't hurry, you'll miss the flight." Ami said to him with a worried look.

With that, the Producer took his inevitable leave, and Touma had helped the members of 'Ryuuguu Komachi' to a garage near the city.

Upon reaching there, Touma then took his leave. "W-wait. Touma!" Iori called, "Where are you going all of a sudden?" He replied, "I'm still kinda busy, and I guess you'll be alright now. So I gotta go back now..."

And with that, Touma left, leaving Ryuuguu Komachi at the garage, Iori was curious why he leaved in such a hurry.

"Ara ara...I think he's searching for his destined person, don't you think so Iori-chan?...Ufufufu." Azusa said in a happy tone.

"Huh? Destined one? I don't think he believes in that." Iori replied. "But still," Ami quickly answered, "Ami think he's looking for some girl. No boy would just leave someone as cute as Ami in a situation like this!"

"Hey! If anything, why boys would stay with us in these times," Iori uttered in a proud tone, "is because of me, because I am the cutest among us!"

"No way! Ami is!" Ami angrily replied.

"No! Me!" countered Iori.

Azusa can only look at them as they fight, then Ritsuko stepped in. "What's all the commotion about!" Ritsuko said in an annoyed manner. "Do the two of you want to be punished?"

"...N-No, ma'am, NO!" They both replied, scared and shivering.

Meanwhile, as Touma returns to the beach...

"Where is she?" He thought to himself. He started looking everywhere at the beach, every nook and cranny of it. But, the girl was no where to be found.

Eventually, he decided to sit down by the beach. Unknowing of what to do, he instead wander in his thoughts of why he couldn't find her.

He thought that perhaps she was some creature who can change her shape, and must've been looking at him from afar. Then, he thought that she must've been a sort of princess in a deep city, punished by his tyrannical father by never going to the surface again.

He sat there from dawn to dusk, thinking maybe it was just his imagination back then. He then stood up and decided to stop finding her. As he felt there was no use finding the girl. Maybe she was never there to begin with...

When he decided to leave, he heard a voice, a girl's voice! "Could it be?" He said. She sang so beautifully, yet it sounded sad and lonely. "It has to be! It must be her!"

He ran towards the source of the sound. It was coming from the rocky area of the beach! As he ran closer, the song got louder. "She has to be there!" he exclaimed.

But as he near the other side, he suddenly has not heard of the voice. And when he saw, there was no one to be seen. Not a man, not a fish. Not even a trace of moving life.

But unknowing to him, as he stares at the rocks, a figure of a girl with the lower half of a fish was looking at him from under the waters. The girl was afraid of someone finding her, so she jumped back into the sea. But as it turns out, it was the very young man he saved from that day!

Excited to see him again, a tear rolled down her cheek. Suddenly, she was content. She became happy that she saw himagain. Touma, still standing, was all heartbroken when he came into. "...I don't know why. But it felt like the song was calling to me. As if it wanted me to find it." he said.

He looked at the almost-setting sun, but the girl he could not see, hid behind one of the rocks. He pointed to the sun, and exclaimed, "...That's why, I shouldn't give up! Maybe it is destiny that stops me from seeing her, but I can challenge it! And one day...I can see her again, and thank her for what she had done for me!"

As the day almost draws to a close, he decided to call it a day and head back, continuing the search for tomorrow.

But when he has left the rocky area and turned his back, after taking a few steps away, he heard it again. The song from that girl. The same song, but only this time, it sounded happier than before. Touma silently approached the area again. Now the song was not interrupted nor cut. "Could this be it...!" he thought.

He crossed to the other side, the song still continued! There, he could not believe what he had seen...It's the girl! The girl who had saved his life! Her bluish-green hair shone along with the rising moon. She sang so beautifully, it calmed his soul.

He wanted to let her sing in peace, so he decided to step back a few paces. But as he did, he stepped on a rock, the girl heard the sound from this accident, and turned to its source. She cannot believe that the young man she saved was there, watching her sing.

As Touma gets up, he noticed the singing has stopped; the girl was now looking at him. He tried approaching the girl, but the girl leaned back from him.

Was she afraid that she's been found out? Or shy of him? Either way, Touma notices this, and stops proceeding any further. He also noticed her lower body is a fish.

"E...Excuse me..." Touma said in a soft voice, but this even seemed to startled her.

She tried to jump back at the ocean but was stopped by Touma's voice saying "No, wait please!"

She turned around to see the young man. Her heart started to race, but at the same time she struggled whether she should stay or leave.

"Please, wait." he said. "It's you, from that time that I drowned, right? I've never really gotten the chance to thank you for it."

"So...thank you. I...don't know how I will be able to repay you. I don't even know if I could see you again. B-But don't worry! I'll never tell anyone about you."

His expression gets sadder by the second, he still continued to talk, "...If...If I can never see you again, that's alright. I'm satisfied with just meeting you..." He turned around and walked out of the rocky area.

Then, the girl, through some unknown force telling her to make him stay. Hesitant, the girl said in a shy tone, "Y-You're welcome..."

Touma stopped when he heard her voice, shy yet shaken. He turned back to her, at the same time the girl moved closer to him. The more they moved, the closer their distance was.

Night fell as the two were face to face, Touma kneeled down to the same level with the girl who is somewhat sitting. He gave his hand to her, the girl though amazed, she accepted it. They grasp each other's hands as they stared at each other's eyes. In the dark, Touma wasn't sure of her eye color. It was kind of light gray.

"I...I'll...always be coming to this place.", she blushed as she smiled and said, "Every time there would be a full moon. So please...do see me again..."

"Of course I will! I promise!" he said. "Oh, I forgot to mention. My name is Touma. Amagase Touma. Can I ask yours?"

"My...My name...? I am...M-My name is..."

She can not bring herself to say her name. Her heart continues to race. Slowly she leans back, until her slippery tail caused her to start falling to the ground. Touma tries to catch her head. With his other hand, he reaches for where it will land, but breaks from the kneeling position he was in.

Touma was successful, but now the girl now lies on the ground, and he on top of her. Time seemed to stop for the two as they stared at each other's eyes in their position, the girl blushed even more. Then, Touma, as if hypnotized by her eyes, raised his hand, and slowly brushed his fingers against her face. Was it the driving force from earlier that made him do it? Regardless, as he cupped her chin, closed his eyes, and moved his face closer on the girl's face.

Still racing, her heart is, she closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable. Their lips getting closer and closer to each other. The closer they get, the slower it felt for the two! The thoughts that went on in their heads. What would happen next? Are they going to do it? Should they even do it? Though all these questions scream in their heads, they found nor seek a single answer!

And finally, they interlaced. Their lips are now against each other. The feeling was exhilarating. It was intense. The two did nothing but stayed as they were and continued to kiss. Emotions overflow as their thoughts from earlier were cleared by it. Just then, Touma realized that he may have forced an unwilling event. So, he ended the kiss and as he gets up, he opened his eyes, only to see something he couldn't expect.

The girl was in obvious pain. She was sweating a lot. Her eyes show her resilience to the pain she's having. When did she start feeling the pain?

Touma surprised and scared. He quickly got up and tried to see the source of her pain. And there it was. Her tail was getting shorter and shorter, and taking a different color. He could not believe his eyes in what he sees.

There was nothing he could do. What can he do? If he takes her to a hospital, people would know what she is right away. Even before reaching the hospital, people would know her secret. In fear, he took her and hugged her tightly. "Hold on! Please...please, stay strong!" he shouted. He realized that it's the only thing he could possibly do.

The girl tried to hug him, but her pain she only managed to land her hand on his chest, holding tightly to his shirt. The pain grew more and more, and in the end she screamed and cried. The pain became too much. Touma only repeatedly shouted to stay strong, holding her more tightly as her pain becomes more apparent. And then, it ended. The pain that the girl felt was gone. She let her voice rest and pants from exhaustion. Touma was relieved. He came to see her tail, as it was the source of her pain, but he was surprised from what he saw.

It's gone! Her long scale-covered tail has disappeared, and is now replaced by two complete, though blood-stained and shivering legs, covered by what appears to be a peeled-off skin of her tail!

The girl, however, is not alright yet. Her face reddens and her breathing becomes heavier. Touma tried to take her temperature, and found that she has gotten a fever! Touma took no time to waste. He removed the scales off the legs and covered her with his plaided jacket. He carried her, no longer fearing to reveal her identity as the tail is no more, to town, even if it's miles away.

As they are about to leave the shores, he saw a traveler, looking at the night sea by his motorcycle. "Help! Help us!" Touma shouted to the man, as he gets his attention. The man saw them and immediately came to meet them. "Please, sir," Touma cried, "She's in pain, and I must take her to a hospital. And I don't know if I'll make it in time..."

"Say no more!" The man said. "Come ride with me and I'll take you both to town." Touma, in relief, hurried with the man in riding the motorcycle. The man hands him his helmet, saying, "I probably would just wear it myself and hold her tight, if I were you."

Touma refuses, with the reply, "I can't. I have to hold her. Besides, if she can't wear one, then so shouldn't I." The man smirks at his dedication. "Your choice" he said, as he wears his helmet on. Touma fixes his and the girl's position before the man starts running his vehicle.

"You all set over there?" The man shouted through his helmet." Touma holds on to the man's chest while keeping her in between them, so she won't get dropped along the way. Touma gave no reply, but from the strength he used to held onto the man, he knew Touma was ready.

Then the man started his motorcycle. The machine gave a deafening roar before moving at a fast pace. A travel to town was not long by motorcycle, but is hindered by curves in the path.

"Wooohooo!" The man shouted, taking on each of the curves without apparent care for his passengers. This scared Touma, but he can only have faith in the man.

"D-Did I just ask a devil for a ride!" Touma thought in his mind. Each turn seemed like a second to pass, before finally reaching the main road, the road that takes them straight to town! Touma checked on the girl. She's still breathing! This relieved Touma, but he knew it was no time to be relaxed.

The man rushed through the main street like no one was there, but there was! And either he timed his turns on the streets, or everyone else just stays away from the speeding rider, not wanting to get ran over.

Quickly, though, they reached the hospital, and Touma quickly took the girl and rushed in to ask for help. He was lucky, for as soon as the nurses and doctors saw him coming, they immediately called for a hospital bed and took her to the ER, assuming she needs to go there thanks to her stained legs.

Once in, Touma can only wait for what would the doctors say, so he decided to go out and thank the man. But as he goes out, the man was gone. As if he left as soon as they went in.

Somewhat saddened, he returned into the hospital, only to be greeted by one of the doctors who examined the girl. "Sir, may I have a word with you?" he said, while Touma only nodded in reply.

They went outside, and there the man started asking Touma questions.

"Where have you met her, may I ask you?" He asked, but quickly added, "And please be honest with your answers."

"At...At the beach."

"Is this your first meeting with her?"

"...Just tonight, sir..."

"Are you sure?"

Touma was silent with that question. It was clearly not the first time! But what can he do? He would probably think he's crazy if he told him the truth.

The doctor then said, "I'll let you in on a little secret, son."

"That beach...It's not just a beach. Like you, me and everything else in this world, it keeps some secrets." he said. "That girl you brought here...Do you know what she even is?"

"I know you do, because she will never have legs if you at least don't."

That statement brought shock to Touma. What did he imply when he said that message? Quickly, he turned to the man, expecting some form of answer from him.

"You may not believe it...no, you already believe it. There are creatures out there that have the upper half of a human, while the lower half of a fish. These are merpeople, as you possibly could've guessed."

He added, "Merpeople don't usually come out, because of their laws of not revealing themselves to humans. Who knows why. But if they do, and if they ever reveal themselves to one, that person might not live long, as they tend to keep their existence a secret."

"But it seems you're a rare case. It seems that this one saw you one time and you lived. I know this can't be the first time, because of the curse."

Touma was confused. "Curse?" he asked.

"They say the merpeople were once human themselves, but because of a sin of an ancestor, they are doomed in that form. And they say that a kiss from a person, a human, who both holds some form of bond with each other, can undo the 'curse'."

"It's like it's taken out of a fairy tale, I know. But of course, people had feared them, and so their dream of all of them no longer being cursed is nothing but a fantasy."

The man stopped, and a short silence came. Touma started speaking, "One time. I recall jumping down the sea, and she saved me. But that was a long time from now."

"No one exactly knows what it needs to break the curse any more, so that's one more reason why they decided to hide themselves. Was it your need to pay her back, or a feeling that you have for her? Whatever it is, when you kissed her, the 'curse' was lifted."

Touma stood silent in thought, but realized something and asked, "But if you know all of this, then that would mean that you...?"

"...Yes. I have encountered one of them as well. My story was the same as yours, except with the ending." The doctor said.

"You are lucky. She's alright and is now getting some rest. You can go see her now."

"Oh, this goes without saying but..." The man said, but Touma cut in, saying with a smile, "I know. It's a secret."

The morning came, and in a room, Touma and the girl were there. The girl sleeping peacefully in a bed, but Touma in a chair and is sleeping besides her, his face on the bed, and his arms closed and lied on like a pillow. Her eyes slowly opened and see herself in an unfamiliar place. She looked around and found Touma, and proceeded to waking him up.

"T...To...Touma. T-Touma, w-wake up please" She said, shaking him to wake up.

"W-Wh-Where...Where are we?" She asked in a scared manner. Touma, upon hearing her voice, got up quickly, and saw her in a better condition than last night.

"You're awake. Thank goodness." Touma said in a relieved voice. "B-But...where are we...?" She asked.

"We're in a hospital. It's where people go to get cured of injuries."

"H-Hospital...?" She wondered, but her attention quickly changed to her lower half, as she just realized something.

"M-My tail...! It...It became legs! Touma, what happened last night? Did the hospital did this?"

Touma smiled at that question, but then explained to her what the doctor said to him last night, about the merpeople and the curse.

"I see..." she replied. "we were always told of these stories. But I never really thought that it could happen. My sister said she'll try to find out if it's real, but when she tried going to the surface, she never came back. I never heard from her again...So that's why...from time to time I'd try to find her. I always hoped that I'd find her, but then time passed and I thought I won't even find anything, not even if what she tried to do, that 'break the curse' thing, was real..."

"But then, I found you..." Tears started to form in her eyes. "When I saw you back then, I thought that maybe, it was my chance to see if it was real or not. But I never knew about the bond part, so without thinking, I...I..."

Touma was shocked from what he's hearing, but he feels more pity than anything, so he stood up and went to her side and hugged her as she continued telling her tale in tears.

"But it didn't work. And yet, I felt something about you. I don't know what, but it was telling me something. As if, I have to let you live. So I saved you. And after that time, I've spent all my time I can to look for you, anywhere in the ocean, hoping that...you were looking for me too..."

"But I didn't. And yesterday, I couldn't take it. I never thought I'd see you again, so I felt like singing my sorrow...And then, you...you know what happened..."

"...That's alright." Touma said. "There's...There's a lot of things I have to know, and a lot of things I need to sit down on...but right now, you're safe, and free from the curse. And that's what's important now."

"Touma..." she said, as her tears began to flow, but only this time, she smiles as she cries. She is crying tears of joy.

"Hey, stop crying already. It's...kinda..."

"Oh my, it seems I'm interrupting a moment here."

A nurse had come into the room, bringing some food and clothes on for the girl. "So this is human food?" she said, as stares at the rice, eggs and vegetables brought by the nurse.

"Well, dear, do eat up. You'll be needing some strength, specially for your legs." the nurse said.

The two let each other go, and Touma helped prepare the girl for her meal. As the girl eats, the nurse talks to Touma, "Don't worry. I know what she is. Just, do take care of her from now on, alright?"

"Of course! I promise!" Touma replied.

"Oh!" the nurse said. "Look dear, this handsome young man had promise to look after you. Just like a knight!"

Touma bursted in shock, "W-What! A knight? T-That's exaggerating it. I...I said I'll take care of her, alright...b-but only because I should. I mean, I am a guy, and she saved my life before. A-a-a-and she has nowhere to go here now. S-s-so there!"

Touma's face became red at this point, to which the girl, with her mouth full, happily replied, "Touma! That's...That's kinda cuuuuuute!" She swallowed what was in her mouth and proceeded to smile to that.

"D-Don't be stupid...!" Touma said, but as he saw her smile, he became hesistant of what he wanted to say, and after some silence, he just looked away, brushing his hair back. "...Whatever. Just finish up with your meal."

Later, Touma had stepped outside the room. The nurse was busy changing the girl into new clothes. He was called in a while later to pick her up.

"Hey," Touma asked, "why did you call me out here? Can't you just walk outside to meet me?"

"But...I wanted my first steps...with these legs...to be with you..."

Touma was unable to reply to that, and just went ahead and helped her out of the bed. Then for the first time, she took her feet to the floor, with Touma holding her, one hand by her hand, and the other by her shoulder, and began taking steps. She almost slipped, but Touma was ready to catch him and did.

"You doing alright?" Touma asked.

"I'll be alright. You're there." she replied, smiling sweetly to him.

And slowly but surely, they both walked out of the hospital together.

Outside, a large honk was heard. The two looked at where the sound was coming from, and to Touma's surprise, it was the man who helped them last night, apparently happy and waiting to see them.

"Hey there, lover boy" The man shouted, much to Touma's embarrassment, "Glad to see your girl's okay! Hahahah!"

"She...She's not my...never mind!"

"...Huh?" The girl looked at Touma with a questioned look.

"H-hey! What happened to you last night anyway?" asked Touma.

"Eeeeeh...got a speeding ticket from last night when I helped you guys here, so I had to talk with the cops." The man said.

"But don't worry. I've paid my bills so I'm free to go." he happily said. "But anyway...You guys want a lift anywhere? I felt like giving you guys a ride since last night."

Touma replied, "Thanks, but no thanks." He looked at the girl, before looking back at the man, "I guess we want to walk the rest of the way."

"Well, suit yourself. Gotta get me to the next town for the next concert. This would be the idols from 765's biggest event yet. Wooohoooo!"

He then rides off, slowly disappearing from their sights. "Now," Touma said to the girl, "why don't we start walking home?"

"Sure." the girl said, as he looked into her baby blue eyes and saw a hint of hope in them.

As they continue to walk, Touma can't help but think of what would be the changes in his life, now that someone had entered it. In his thoughts, he said, "Merpeople? Curses? Whatever. I don't think I'll get an answer out of any of those questions. Especially about this 'bond' thing that we, or anyone for that matter, have. But...I suppose it won't hurt to try and know. Or at least understand. I guess I should just take this step by step, like what we're doing right now, and in the end, I probably might just learn something."

Later, he spotted a convenience store. Touma quickly turned to the girl and said, "Hey, there's a store over there. Why don't we take a break for now...uh..."

Touma had realized, that after all this time, he still doesn't know the girl's name! Determined, he said, "Say, I don't recall getting you're name, actually."

"Y-Yeah...That's true..."

"So...what IS your name?"

"My name...? It's..."

~~~The End!~~~


End file.
